Cat and Mouse Complex
by Sweetdums
Summary: MelloNear. Mello mourning fic. Why would the cat save it's worst enemy, the mouse?


**Cat and Mouse Complex**

_AN;; Well, I've always wanted to do a MelloNear mourning fic, so here it is. It's my first Death Note ficlet. Uh, Near's very... um... sad in this? It's pretty much just a oneshot, cause' I'm not sure you could call this Fluff. I do hope you like it. My favourite part is the ending. : D Oh, I changed this because I got messed up and accidently put Linda instead of Halle. So, I hope you enjoy this corrected version more._

Near breathed unevenly, his voice laden with sobs. He curled up closer into himself on the bare mattress. These emotions he would never show during the day. Everything hurt, inside or out. He knew the pain coursing through his body wasn't just from the extent to which he'd curled into himself, or rather, he knew the pain coursing through his very blood wasn't from his poise. It had to be from his broken heart that stung everytime he thought of _him_. He sighed raggedly as another tear snaked it's way down his face. Memories of the past flooded his mind as they had every night before.

_Flash-back_

Halle had a hurt look on her face as she stepped toward Near. She shook her head in disappointment.

"He knew it would end this way... no, he was counting on it." she had said in a soft voice, "He did what he had to do to save our lives, and solve the case."

Near had just sat motionless on the floor, one knee pulled to his chest. He nodded slowly in answer to the facts he already knew. Halle was just trying to comfort him so he saw no need to tell her otherwise. Inside he was already feeling the chip in his heart growing into a crack.

"Thank you, Halle... I'm aware of this..." he said, emotionless.

"I thought you should know... he called me before it happened. I know you two were closer than you looked on the outside," she said, clearly a statement of years of knowing the two.

Near nodded once again. This time he didn't say a thing. It was odd to hear those words, even if he wasn't sure which part of them left a numbing sensation inside of him.

_E-nd_

The tears stilled in his eyes for a moment. The pain replaced with a raging anger. Why hadn't he told Near of his plan first? He could've helped him! Halle failed! She failed to save him! He could've done it! Could've saved him... No, this wasn't anger, it was jealousy. He'd been constantly aware of this emotion lingering inside him all these years. These feelings were directed at anyone who even seemed close to Mello. At one point, he'd even felt this pang of jealousy toward L. A person they had both admired.

_Flash-back_

Mello looked up at L with eyes filled with respect and admiration. Such emotions mirrored in all the children at Wammy's, except for one. Near looked at L blankly. His emotions hidden behind unnaturally large pupils. The respect was there, yes. Near was also in line to succeed L someday. The admiration had always been there as well, lurking behind glossy eyes. He didn't understand why he was struggling now. Struggling with the fact that Mello had smiled always happily at L and never him.

The emotions held in that smile made him burn to see it directly. The jealousy was a strange ringing in his mind. One he could easily push aside by telling himself that he saw Mello everyday and L did not. That he had plenty of time to see that smile. Plenty of time to cause it for more than admiration and respect.

_E-nd_

Near squeezed his eyes shut as the tears spilled once again. Now he would give anything to see that smile, directly or not. Just being near Mello was good enough now. He often thought things like this. That if he was just that much smarter, he could've foreseen the fake notebook. That way Mello wouldn't have had to take the measures he had. If Mello hadn't been just that little bit attached to Near, maybe he would have let him die in his stead.

Why would the cat save it's worst enemy, the mouse? The mouse was sly, always moving in places the cat could never reach. Such things made the cat frustrated as if he'd never catch the mouse. So why when the exterminator came did the cat jump to sacrifice himself to ensure the mouse's extended life?

Near spent every day, ever hour, every minute, every second that was his working over this thought in his head. This idea couldn't be contradicted. This thought couldn't be subdued. This mystery couldn't be solved. These feelings couldn't be explained, on Near's part or Mello's.

_Fin._


End file.
